An electrical plug connector part may have at least two contact elements for establishing an electrical contact with associated contact elements of another electrical plug connector part. The at least two contact elements are disposed on a support element of the electrical plug connector part and are retained in position via the support element.
Electrical plug connector parts of the type described here function to transmit a charging current, in particular for charging an electric vehicle. In general, an electric vehicle is hereby charged via a charging station, wherein the electric vehicle has, for example, an electrical plug connector part in the form of a charging socket which may be connected to the charging station via a suitable charging cable.
Basically, an electric vehicle may be charged in different ways. As such, there are also different corresponding connecting devices known from the prior art which connect an electric vehicle to a charging station, and these devices may have different electrical plug connector parts. For example, a connection device may be designed for transmitting an alternating current in order to supply a charging current in the form of alternating current to the electric vehicle. Upon connecting an electric vehicle to a socket, a single-phase alternating current, for example, is transmitted. However, a three-phase alternating current may also be supplied via a charging station. Alternatively, the charging may also be carried out by means of a direct current. Therefore, depending on the type of current and the current strength, the electrical plug connector parts are designed for connecting the electric vehicle to a charging station or to a socket.
In order to ensure that, upon connection of the electric vehicle to a charging station via a charging cable, a charging current supplied to the electric vehicle does not exceed a permissible maximum current strength for which the charging cable and the charging system of the electric vehicle are designed, a resistance coding is used at electrical plug connector parts, as is described, for example, in DE 10 2010 053 074 A1 and DE 20 2012 100 613 U1, and as has in addition been standardized in the relevant IEC 62196 standard.
For example, a resistance in a plug connector of a charging cable may be switched between a so-called proximity contact and a ground contact; the resistance value of the resistance may be measured via a charging station upon connecting the plug connector to the charging station in order to identify, on the basis of the resistance value, the type of charging cable connected. In the process, specific types of charging cables or charging devices are assigned to different resistance values so that the cable type can be identified based on the resistance value. In particular, a permissible maximum current strength (for example 16 A or 32 A) which may be transmitted via a charging cable, for example, may be identified in this way so that the charging station can correspondingly limit a supplied current.
A resistance coding, for example on an electrical plug connector part in the form of a charging socket on an electric vehicle, serves a similar purpose. In this case, a maximum permissible charging current for which the charging system of the electrical vehicle is designed may be identified on the basis of a resistance value.
Conventionally, the disposition of such a resistance for the purpose of resistance coding on an electrical plug connector part is comparatively expensive and requires a connection of a resistance to assigned contact elements through crimping or the like, for example.
An electrical plug connector is known from EP 1 094 566 B1, in which a metal sheet with a resistance chip disposed thereon is situated between two contact pins and is switched between the contact pins.
From DE 10 2009 023 292 A1, a known electrical connector is provided with a contact bridge which short circuits two contact pins.